In chapter six of his 2009 book Nuclear Energy, author John Tabak wrote that the US chose Yucca Mountain in Nevada for the final disposal of high-level nuclear waste, saying that it is an area with a small population, very little rainfall — the yearly average only reaches 19mm — and the absence of major fault lines. This means that it is very unlikely that repeated earthquakes would lift up the repository toward the surface of the earth, which means that there is little risk that nuclear waste will leak into the biosphere or set off changes in the groundwater level. Despite all this, funding for the site was terminated by the US Congress in 2011.
Looking at the situation in Taiwan, on Monday, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper), quoted Atomic Energy Council Minister Tsai Chuen-horng (蔡春鴻) as saying that the council is still planning for long-term disposal of high-level nuclear waste, and that the council has not chosen a site yet. Tsai also said that there are some earth strata in Taiwan that are suitable for final disposal of nuclear waste, such as near Sioulin Township (秀林) in Hualien County, but that further investigation is needed since the related research has been obstructed.
However, there is a lot of rainfall and frequent earthquakes in Taiwan, which makes it all but impossible to find appropriate sites for the final disposal of nuclear waste. Tsai’s remarks were truly shocking. Does he have any expert knowledge at all about nuclear waste disposal?
In terms of the nuclear power issue, one could easily say that “it is the permanent disposal of nuclear waste that is the problem with nuclear power generation, stupid.”
Taiwan Power Co chief of nuclear safety Chien Fu-tien (簡福添) has said the site for final disposal of Taiwan’s high-level nuclear waste could be either domestic or abroad, but “that waste is currently stored at the three nuclear power plants.”
The possibility of final disposal abroad revealed by Chien was yet another shocking piece of news. The ideal solution is to reprocess high-level nuclear waste into uranium 235 or plutonium 239 domestically and convert it into nuclear fuel. However, enriched U-235 and recycled P-239 could be used in nuclear weapons, and the international community is sensitive to the reprocessing of nuclear waste, in particular if there are concerns that it might be used in nuclear weapons, and so is opposed to such reprocessing.
China started to build nuclear power plants with a total of 10 electricity units of 1,000MW each in Ningde City and Fuqing City of Fujian Province, as well as in Yangjiang City in Guangdong Province in 2008.
These plants are expected to begin operations sometime between this year and 2015, and nuclear fuel will be processed through a closed recycling technique.
This means that Beijing will be able to recycle U-235 or P-239 from high-level nuclear waste, which could be used for nuclear weapons.
If Taiwan ships its high-level nuclear waste to China for final disposal, it might indirectly enhance Chinese nuclear weapons. This is a frightening scenario.
Chen Yi-nan is convener of the Northern Taiwan Society’s science and technology subcommittee.
Translated by Eddy Chang
China badly misread Japan. It sought to intimidate Tokyo into silence on Taiwan. Instead, it has achieved the opposite by hardening Japanese resolve. By trying to bludgeon a major power like Japan into accepting its “red lines” — above all on Taiwan — China laid bare the raw coercive logic of compellence now driving its foreign policy toward Asian states. From the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas to the Himalayan frontier, Beijing has increasingly relied on economic warfare, diplomatic intimidation and military pressure to bend neighbors to its will. Confident in its growing power, China appeared to believe
After more than three weeks since the Honduran elections took place, its National Electoral Council finally certified the new president of Honduras. During the campaign, the two leading contenders, Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla, who according to the council were separated by 27,026 votes in the final tally, promised to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan if elected. Nasralla refused to accept the result and said that he would challenge all the irregularities in court. However, with formal recognition from the US and rapid acknowledgment from key regional governments, including Argentina and Panama, a reversal of the results appears institutionally and politically
In 2009, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) made a welcome move to offer in-house contracts to all outsourced employees. It was a step forward for labor relations and the enterprise facing long-standing issues around outsourcing. TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) once said: “Anything that goes against basic values and principles must be reformed regardless of the cost — on this, there can be no compromise.” The quote is a testament to a core belief of the company’s culture: Injustices must be faced head-on and set right. If TSMC can be clear on its convictions, then should the Ministry of Education
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) provided several reasons for military drills it conducted in five zones around Taiwan on Monday and yesterday. The first was as a warning to “Taiwanese independence forces” to cease and desist. This is a consistent line from the Chinese authorities. The second was that the drills were aimed at “deterrence” of outside military intervention. Monday’s announcement of the drills was the first time that Beijing has publicly used the second reason for conducting such drills. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is clearly rattled by “external forces” apparently consolidating around an intention to intervene. The targets of
RSS